Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001036/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Elena Donazzan (ECR), Carlo Fidanza (ECR), Nicola Procaccini (ECR), Carlo Ciccioli (ECR), Alessandro Ciriani (ECR), Giovanni Crosetto (ECR), Pietro Fiocchi (ECR), Daniele Polato (ECR), Mariateresa Vivaldini (ECR)
Since the brutal attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea, navigation in the Suez Canal has been less secure. In the first five months of 2024, the average daily number of vessels transiting through the Mediterranean Sea was half that of the same period in 2023, as companies redirected vessels towards the Cape of Good Hope.
Use of that African route lead to exponential growth of sea freight via the Mediterranean – from USD 2 000 to USD 7 000 per container – and an estimated 42 % increase in pollutant emissions per ship. The impact on the Italian ports of Ravenna, Trieste and Venice, the Slovenian port Koper and the Croatian port Rijeka is enormous.
This state of affairs is damaging for the automotive, chemical, construction and energy supply chains on the Asia-Europe route.
Taking into account the strategic importance of the Adriatic for Italy, Slovenia and Croatia and given that, should the dangerous conditions in the Suez Canal continue, transport for goods for Asia will be forcibly shifted from the Adriatic to the Atlantic Ocean, with a dramatic impact on European supply chains and jobs:
- 1.How will the Commission protect the interests of the northern Adriatic ports and jobs there?
- 2.What financial support measures could be taken to help the ports of Ravenna, Trieste, Venice, Koper and Rijeka to withstand the huge losses of economic activity to date?
Submitted: 11.3.2025